Retail merchandise hooks are used to carry a variety of merchandise in a variety of retail environments. Essentially, the hook extends from a vertical retail support wall or structure in a cantilevered fashion. Merchandise is hung from the hook for later removal by a customer.
In recent years, self-facing technology such as pusher systems have increasingly been incorporated into various retail displays. The retail merchandise hook is no exception. A retail merchandise hook incorporating a pusher system is typically referred to as a pusher hook. One example of a contemporary pusher hook is generally illustrated at FIG. 1.
As illustrated at FIG. 1, the pusher hook 20 is mounted to a retail merchandise wall 22 such as a peg board, slatwall, or other similar or dissimilar mounting system. The pusher hook 20 includes a first hook 24 and a second hook 26 extending from the wall 22 in a cantilevered fashion and parallel to one another.
The first hook 24 carries merchandise 28 thereon as illustrated. A pusher mechanism 30 is mounted to the second hook 26. The pusher mechanism 30 is responsible for biasing the merchandise 28 forward in direction 44 on the first hook 24 until the leading package of merchandise 28 comes into abutted contact with an upward bend 42 formed at an end of the first hook 24.
The pusher mechanism 30 includes a base 32, a pusher body 34, and a spring 36 extending therebetween. The base 32 is mounted at a leading end of the second hook 26 and carries the remainder of the spring 36 therein. The pusher body 34 is slidable along the second hook 26 and is biased in direction 44 under the action of the spring 36. The biasing action provided by the spring 36 is strong enough to slide merchandise 28 forward along the first hook 24 and into engagement with the upward bend 42 thereof, but not so strong as to bias merchandise 28 completely off the first hook 24.
Due to the location of the housing 32, the pusher body 34 will continue to move in direction 44 along the second hook 26 under the biasing action of the spring until all merchandise is removed, and the pusher body is in abutted contact with the upward bend 42 of the first hook 24. Put differently, the location of the housing 32 at the end of the second hook 26 is such that the biasing force provided by the spring is transferred to the pusher body 34 along a large extent, if not all, of the length of the first hook 24 until the pusher body comes into contact with the upward bend 42 thereof.
Unfortunately, this constant biasing force along the entire length of the first hook 24 can create a disadvantageous and unappealing forward lean in the merchandise 28 generally in direction 46 as illustrated. This forward lean arises because once the leading item of merchandise 28 abuts the upward bend 42, a biasing force is still provided by the pusher body 34 on the row of merchandise 28. Such a configuration causes all of the merchandise, or at least the first few items in the row, to lean outward and rotate generally in direction 46 about their respective mounting points upon the first hook 24.
The aforementioned outward lean can result in items falling off the hook, damage to packaging, and an aesthetically displeasing look. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a pusher hook that does not create the aforementioned forward lean.
The invention provides such a pusher hook. These and other advantages of the invention, as well as additional inventive features, will be apparent from the description of the invention provided herein.